July 16, 2023
(by Steve Hopkins, Spanish Edition by Estefanía Ramirios)
Butterfly Table Tennis and Bowmar Sports TTC, (distributor for North America and Latin America) have an international focus, not only looking at the trends and results of table tennis hotbeds in Europe and Asia, but also supporting our sport in this hemisphere, looking for great stories from events, tournaments, clubs, players and fans.
The focus of this story is the Puerto Rican artist and table tennis enthusiast, Alfredo Bauza. A few years ago, Bauza drew attention by presenting a piece by Puerto Rican player Adrián Díaz at the ITTF Universal Pan American Cup 2020, an event that took place at the beginning of February 2020 in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
When asked how the idea of creating a piece about Adriana Díaz arose, Bauzá said: “It arose from the fact that Table Tennis is part of my development as a human being and artist, drawing Adriana, as a powerful symbol for our nation and the world of table tennis, it is very important to highlight through art the victories of this great sport at the hands of a former player who emerged from both sport and art.”
Art is something very personal for both the artist and the public. Plus, there was added meaning to Bauzá, a Puerto Rican artist and athlete who immortalizes Díaz. For Bauza, art and sports are two elements where he achieves sovereignty in Puerto Rico. As Bauzá said, “sovereignty is only achieved through sports and art, it makes us free, something that cannot be achieved politically in our country.”
The piece itself is also uniquely Puerto Rican. The art medium in which it was made is charcoal and tree ashes. The work was drawn on paper with the ashes of the trees that fell during Hurricane María (which devastated a large part of the island about two years before it was made in 2018). As Bauzá explains, “The ash from the fallen Puerto Rican trees is a metaphor for drawing the essence through the energy that Adriana pours into our society.”
The work was presented and “symbolically delivered” to Adriana at the event. Bauzá and the Díaz family have been in close contact and the original piece is expected to be on display at the Table Tennis Club in Utuado, Puerto Rico. A copy of the original will also be on display at the Chicago Latino Museum, where other Bauza pieces are regularly exhibited.
Bauzá attended Albergue Olímpico de Salinas, a sports-focused high school that has trained many of the best table tennis players in Puerto Rico. He attributes much of his intellectual and social development to sport, through which he was able to excel and have the ability to travel and interact with other cultures. The combination of education and sport instilled in him a sense of discipline and national pride, and these have become powerful elements in his evolution as an artist. As Bauzá explains:
“I have had to represent my country through art. I learned this in sports. It has been the complement of my success. So much so, that my art thesis mentions table tennis concepts translated into painting. Movements, gestures, speed and energy have been present in the creative process of painting (…) I am a competitive painter, disciplined with a line developed with energy and effects acquired with table tennis. That is evidenced in the testimony of my canvases.”
Regarding table tennis, Bauzá has represented Puerto Rico, in regional and national championships, including Olympic festivals. He was a strong college player. He played internationally, including the US Open. He is still connected to the sport, not only following the achievements of Adriana Díaz and other great Puerto Rican players, but also visiting recent events such as the Butterfly Open Team Tournament, which takes place every April in San Juan Puerto Rico. .
As an artist, Bauza has exhibited both nationally and internationally, his exhibits include states such as Chicago, Miami, and Boston, as well as other international venues such as Cuba, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, and the Dominican Republic. She has studied in Altos de Chavón in the Dominican Republic and at Casa Las Américas in Havana, Cuba. He was named artist-in-residence of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico and has received a UNESCO medal along with numerous awards and recognitions.
We close our interview with a question about Bauzá’s future plans in table tennis. Without wasting the opportunity, Bauzá suggested holding the first art exhibition sponsored by Butterfly. On further thought, he said that he would like to have the faces of real players displaying both the artist’s and player’s signatures on real player’s racquets.
See English Version Here
Share the post “TABLE TENNIS IS ART: Puerto Rican Artist Alfredo Bauza”
2023-07-16 22:38:14
#TABLE #TENNIS #ART #Puerto #Rican #Artist #Alfredo #Bauza
